Key holder



D. COPELL KEY HOLDER Filed Jan'. 20, 1932 April 4, 1933 Fa W554 BY mrf.

' ATTORNEY WITNESS:

Patented Apr. 4, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT orncs DANIEL cornnr), or gramme-om, NEW mnsnz m normn Application filed January 20, 1932. Serial No. 587,788.

My present invention has reference to a key retainer and has for its general obj ect the provisionv of a keyretainer that is of a form similarto-the shape of a fountain pen and which is'provided with a clip that will effectively sustain the retainer in the vest pocket of the owner, and further wherein the re'-' tainer is provided with a plurality of longi-. tudinally arranged spaced grooves that af- 1'o ford 'ockets for keys, the said keys being removably secured and latched in the body in a novel manner and likewise being spring influenced to swing the same outwardly to o erative osition when the latch for any o the said lieys is moved to unlatching position.

stated objects and man others which will present themselves ast e nature of the invention is better understood, the improve ment resides inthe construction, combination and operative association of parts, one satisfactory embodiment of which is disclosed by the accom anying drawing. In the rawins:

Figure 1 is a si e elevationof my improvement. f

Fi re 2 is an approximately central longitu inal sectional view therethrough. 80 Figure 3 is a sectional view taken at right a les to the showing of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line' 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a substantially similar sectional view approximately on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 and showing one of the latches released to. automatically swing a key through the holder.

Figure 6 is a view illustrating a slight modificatibn.

Figure 7 is a transverse sectionalvview through a modified form of latching and releasing means. I V

, The body 1 of my improved holder may be constructed of any desired material and Tohthe attainment of the above broadly v as disclosed by Figures 1 to 5 of the drawing is of a size and shape substantially similar to that of an ordinary fountain pen. One

end of the body'is enlarged to represent the cap for the pen and on this enlarged portion there is fixed one end of an ordinary spring clip 2. The clip efiects'in holding the body in the vest pocket of the owner of the holder.

The body 1 is provided with any desired number of longitudinally arranged grooves which extend through the rounded ends thereof and which grooves are divided from each" other by partitions. In thev showingof the drawing, two of, such grooves 3 are provided and a single partition 1 is arranged 0 between and divides the grooves.

In each of the ooves 3, adjacent to the lower walls provic le trally fixed, as at 5, a spring plate, the center and pivotal portion of the said plate dividing the same. into oppositely extending arched arms 6, respectively and these arms are designed to be compressed to substantially flat position by contact with" the 7 straight edges'of the shanks 7 of keys. The A p head portions of thekeys are-each provided with a pair of spaced rounded openings 3 and 9, respectively. In the showing of the mentioned figures of the drawing the heads of the keys are widened from the shanks thereof and have their opposite ed es straight and their outer ends centrjly formed with reduced rounded portions that l have their openings 9 passing therethrough, the openings 8 passing through the flat and substantially rectangular portions of the heads. Thebody 1-, in a line with the openings v8 and'9, as well as the partition 4 have round openings therethrough for the passage of plug- 'ke dogs 10 whose confrontmg ends are round, each ofsaid dogs being formed at its outer end with a stem 11 that 'merges into a button-shaped head 12-. Each of the shanks 11 is passed through a sleeve or bushing 13 that is screwed in-the open- 9 d thereby, there is seenlatching ing the stems and exerting apressure between the plugs or dogs and the sleeves'or bushings 13 there are coil expansion springs 14 which force the rounded ends of the dogs toward each other and through the openings 9 and 8. The outer dogs thus provide pivots for the keys, while the inner dogs, indicated for distinction by the numeral 15, provide latching elements for the keys, such dogs passing through the openings 8 in the heads of the keys. An outward ull u on any of the latch dogs will permit t e latc ed spring 6 which contacts with the key that has been released by the said. latch dog swinging the same through the slot 3 to operative position as disclosed by the dotted lines in Figure 2 of the drawing and the key may be returned into the groove by the operator and automatically latched by the dogs 15. s

In Figure 6 the vide compartments body 16 is slotted toprostance the body 1s of rectangular formation by screws 19. The shan 'slotor slots 24 in thedmdy to and has its outer scales, Also the headszof the keys are of the usualshape and are ivoted in the body of the keys rest spr ng secured in the groove or compartment and each of the keys has its head and its innergedge formed with a slot 21 to receive therethrough a latch pin that is slidable through somewhat elongated slots 22 in the body, the said latch pins having their opposite ends headed, as at 23. When the latch pins are moved out of the notches the springs 20 will swin the keys out of the ring the said keys to operative osition.

In Figure 7 the b lar to thatpreviously described, the same having longitudinal slots for the reception .of'keys' and a partition dividing the slots into two compartments. The latching means that afiordboth the pivots and the locking means for the keys, however; are of a slightly diflz'erent construction from those prev ous y described. These pivots and latches are, however, of a similarconstruction each comprising an inner member in the nature of a.lugfthat afiords a dog 25, each dog being provided on its-outer and straight'end witha reduced: threaded stem 26. The second element of the p1vot or catch includes an outer head 27 and a shank 28 which has an interiorly threaded bore 29.

The member 29; is thus in, the naturerofa female element of the latch or pivot and the same has screwed therein the threaded shank 26 of the dog 25. The female member .draws the dog thereinto 27 of the said member 18 turned in one di-.

when the headed end rection. fWhenthe knurled or button heads are turned in a. second direction the dogs fore,

changes therefrom as fairly fall within the for keys 18. In this inscope of what I claim.

faces provided-with ruled ody of the device is simi- "portions of said slots,

removalofi the keys. No parts of the keys can come apart with the employment of the pivots and latches so that the key cannot be accidentally lost.

It is thought that the foregoing description when read in connection with the drawing will fully and clearly set forth my construction and the advantages so that further detailed description will not be required. Obviously I do not wish to be restricted to the precise details herein set forth and, therehold myself entitled to make such Having described the invention I claim:

1.. A key holder comprising a body proyided with longitudinal slots, a partition plate between the slots, a spring centrally fixed in the slots adjacent to the bottom there- 'of and having oppositely extending arched arms, keys designed to be received in the slots and havingtheir head portions provided each with a pair ofspaced round openings,

and spring influenced dogs havin their confronting ends rounded, movable t rough the sides and into the partition of the body to pass through the openings in the key head and to afford respectively pivots and latches for thekeys, and each of said dogs having its I outer end provided with a buttonhead that normally hugs the sides ofthe body.

2. A key holder comprising a round body,

of a length and shape to resemble a fountam pen which is provided with a clip, saidbody having spaced longitudinal slots therethrough, and a part tion wall between said slots, a spring having arched ends centrally fixed in each of the slots adjacent to the lower and said arched portionsidesigned to contact with the shanks oi the keys which'have their heads each provided with a pair of spaced round openings, said body and partition having round openings therethrough to aiine with theopenmgs in the key head when thejkeys are arranged 1n the body, dogs having rounded confronting ends in said openings merging into button heads, guide sleeves m stems on the dogs the openings'for the stems, and coiled expan-- V sion springs surrounding the stems and exerting a pressure between the guide sleeves and .the dogsand one pair of said dogs affording pivots for the keys and the other,

pairs of said dogsaflording latches for said eys.

3; A holder comprising a body having 

